¹⁶ King Jehoram, the son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, began his reign during the fifth year of the reign of King Joram of Israel, the son of Ahab. ¹⁷ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. ¹⁸ But he was as wicked as Ahab and the other kings of Israel; he even married one of Ahab’s daughters. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, because God had promised his servant David that he would watch over and guide his descendants, he did not destroy Judah.

²⁰ During Jehoram’s reign, the people in Edom revolted from Judah and appointed their own king. ²¹ King Jehoram^[a] tried unsuccessfully to crush the rebellion: he crossed the Jordan River and attacked the city of Zair, but was quickly surrounded by the army of Edom. Under cover of night he broke through their ranks, but his army deserted him and fled. ²² So Edom has maintained its independence to this day. Libnah also rebelled at that time.

²³ The rest of the history of King Jehoram is written in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. ^24-25 He died and was buried in the royal cemetery in the City of David—the old section of Jerusalem.

Then his son Ahaziah^[b] became the new king during the twelfth year of the reign of King Joram of Israel, the son of Ahab.